Last month I wrote a post that briefly overviewed some tips on urban gardening.
I thought I would now go through the process of getting my garden prepared for the upcoming summer. I know I’m starting to till a little late, but don’t fret if you make a garden at this time too, it can still be successful.
This week I will be talking about choosing a space within your yard to make a plot, and then crafting your plan to begin your garden. I wouldn’t call myself an expert at gardening yet. So don’t worry, we’re learning this together.
The plot that I will be using is outside and it is a 14.7 ft. by 23.1 ft. plot. This is a big plot. You definitely don’t need something this big. I was just fortunate to have a yard with that much empty space. I would say anything 3 ft. by 5 ft. is sufficient to make a decent sized garden.
Make sure that the plot you decide to plant on gets five to seven hours of sunlight a day. Some people say six to eight is necessary, but in Washington we will take the five to seven hours of sunlight if we can get it.
Next, it is best to decide whether you would like to create a raised bed garden or a regular garden. I am using my big plot to do a little of both. I am planting my cold weather crops (leafy greens, root vegetables) in the back of my plot. The area is approximately 14 ft. by 9.5 ft. I’m deciding to grow my hot crops (corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and watermelon) in raised bed gardens which will be 3 ft. by 5 ft. respectively. This way the vines that grow from these plants don’t interfere with my cold weather crops.
The raised beds have a few benefits: you don’t have to till the land that you are growing on, and you can directly pour compost and soil into the raised beds and grow vegetables without having to obstruct the land.
Once you have decided where you are going to create your plot I would recommend getting specific measurements of the area. After that, decide if you want to have a regular garden, raised beds or combinations of both. You can visit this site for more information about what to plant.
Next week, I’ll go in to detail as I begin to craft my raised beds and till the back area of my garden.
